Foreign Ministry Responds on U.S. Farm Purchases: Both Sides Should Meet Each Other Halfway on Mutual Benefit
On November 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun hosted the regular press conference in Beijing. Asked by a Reuters reporter about China's purchases of U.S. agricultural products and the two sides' tariff arrangement, Guo said the question should be put to the competent Chinese authorities, adding that maintaining the stable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations serves the interests of both countries and their peoples and benefits global economic growth, and that the two sides should meet each other halfway, uphold the orientation of mutual benefit and win-win results, and push bilateral economic and trade ties toward continued stable and sound development.
The Reuters question stemmed from a statement by China's Ministry of Commerce the previous day. On November 5, commerce ministry spokesperson Huang Ling, answering a question about imports of U.S. farm products at a regular press briefing, said agricultural trade is an important part of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation, and that China has consistently been open to expanding purchases of agricultural products from the United States, but only on the condition that the two sides implement their agreed "$30 billion-for-$30 billion" reciprocal tariff-reduction arrangement.
Huang added that expanding agricultural cooperation can enrich the dinner tables of both peoples and provide stable income for businesses and farmers in both countries, bringing tangible benefits to both sides. She said China hopes the U.S. will work with it to lower tariffs, reduce non-tariff barriers and expand market access, so as to create more favorable conditions for agricultural trade between the two countries.
According to Reuters, after the two heads of state met in Washington in September, the two sides proposed a package of reciprocal tariff cuts totaling about $60 billion, including roughly $17 billion worth of U.S. farm goods, a scale equivalent to China's farm imports from the U.S. in 2024, though the arrangement has yet to be finalized. The White House said in May that China had agreed to buy $17 billion of U.S. agricultural goods annually starting in 2026, with the 2026 target adjusted on a prorated basis. The Reuters reporter asked on November 6 whether the commerce ministry's statement means China will not begin fulfilling that purchase commitment until the tariff cuts are implemented.
According to Reuters, the two countries have set up an agricultural working group that is expected to meet before the end of this year.
Source: China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Indiana 州 Brownsburg 一处农田里的大豆收割作业。中国扩大自美采购农产品，关系到美国农户的销路。美国农业部（USDA）摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Soybean harvest in Brownsburg, Indiana. By the U.S. Department of Agriculture, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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